


yellow lights makes you glow

by sandstorms



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, McDonald's, i wanted to do this for so long, is just me, it could be better, jihan are so cute, they have a tag for mcdonalds?, writing soft boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25692262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandstorms/pseuds/sandstorms
Summary: It's not like Joshua is in love, because he isn't, not at all. He just happens to think Jeonghan looks unfairly pretty under the shitty light of a McDonald's drive-thru. It's not like he wants to kiss him. No, not at all.
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71





	yellow lights makes you glow

When Joshua still lived in America, going to McDonald’s was a run of the mill kind of thing. After his parents moved back to South Korea, it became a rarity. There are just as many flashy yellow boards with the famous logo in Korea as there were back at home, though. It’s just not the same thing, he supposes. 

It’s past midnight, he and Jeonghan are driving to the closest drive-thru that happens to be a McDonalds and the nostalgic feeling catches him by surprise. He looks at the side, Jeonghan is sleeping, the lights coming from the dashboard the only thing enlightening his features. And for a long minute, Joshua wonders if he should turn off the radio, maybe turn the heat on instead. Perhaps he should sweep Jeonghan’s bangs to the side, it may be disturbing his sleep, he looks peaceful but you can’t ever be sure. 

He stretches his arm, but Jeonghan suddenly moves, mumbling something about french fries and mozzarella sticks, and he withdrawals his hand, focusing on the road again. Episodes like this are getting frequent, where he feels this itch to touch Jeonghan, fingertips tingling and his heart thundering inside his chest. 

He ignores it the best he can but sometimes, like when Jeonghan smiles mischievously at him or acts in a cute way just so he can get what he wants, Joshua’s resolve wavers and he finds himself drawn to the other like a piece of metal to a magnet.

It’s like crushing his heart with his own hands. Jeonghan and he are best friends, roommates, and they love each other, but not like this, and the best way to screw everything is developing feelings. But Joshua is good because he’s not. Like, developing feelings for Jeonghan. No, not all. They’re bros. Just two dudes who drink almond milk with the same straw and gift each other handmade necklaces.

The queue is not long, only two or three cars in front of them, making Joshua thanks the heavens, he’s not in the mood to wait forty minutes just for a burger. 

He knocks Jeonghan’s shoulders with his fist closed, covered by his sweater sleeve. There’s also this, sometimes just touching Jeonghan makes his skin burn and renders him to nothing but a blushing mess. Which is not a red flag, not at all. Mingyu does the same when Seungcheol hugs him and they are just friends. 

Well, at least he thinks they’re just friends.

“Why Mingyu blushes so much when Cheol touches him?” He asks abruptly, cursing at himself as soon as the words leave his mouth and Jeonghan turns his head to look at him with curiosity clouded by sleep. 

“Because Mingyu is head over heels for Seungcheol.” He replies, simply. “He’s just too dumb to notice.” 

“Oh.”

_Oh._

Jeonghan stays quiet then, he never talks much when he wakes up after a nap in the car, just sits straight and pulls his legs close to his chest, staring at nothing. Joshua doesn’t know why he does this, and he doesn’t care much either, it’s endearing as it is.

When it’s their time to order, Joshua turns to ask Jeonghan what he’ll want but the other beat him to it, undoing his seatbelt so he can crawl to the driver's side and shove his head through the window. Things don’t go as smoothly to Joshua as went to Jeonghan though, the older almost crushes his thigh when he uses him as support to keep his body stable, making Joshua eat a fistful of hair as a bonus when he goes back to his seat. 

He coughs, shrinking his eyes to Jeonghan when he starts laughing at Joshua’s sour expression, “Can’t you, like, _ask_ me to move?”

“Nah,” Jeonghan’s are full of mirth and Joshua leans back in his seat, scared that his heart beating so fast is a warning to a heart attack. “You should be grateful I did your order for you, though.”

Joshua smiles, “Aw, you did?”

“Sure I did, baby.” Jeonghan leans to the radio, shaking his head as the next song starts. “Grilled onion with cheddar and medium fries for you. Cheeseburger with mozzarella sticks and large fries for me. We can share the coke.”

As Jeonghan succeeds in changing the radio station, Joshua nods, pulling his phone from his sweater’s pocket. He thinks about sending something in the group chat but gives up when he can’t think about anything idiot enough to make Woozi leave the chat. 

“Why’d you ask?” Jeonghan says after some minutes of silence.

“Ask what?”

“About Cheol and Gyu.” He explains, looking directly at him. 

Joshua wonders where this came from, Jeonghan is not the type to inquire about these things.

He shrugs, “Seungcheol hyung touched his elbow just to ask something and he acted like someone had just thrown a spider at him or something and started stuttering.”

“Ok, but it’s kinda obvious.” Jeonghan leans towards him, watching Joshua’s face like something in his eyes screamed LIAR in red, big words. “You could easily come yourself to this conclusion or even asked Gyu.”

Joshua leans away as Jeonghan comes close until his back hits the door and he gulps, nearly choking when Jeonghan’s eyes follow the bob of his throat. 

“Why me?”

It's not like Joshua is in love, because he isn't, not at all. He just happens to think Jeonghan looks unfairly pretty under the shitty light of a McDonald's drive-thru. Is not like he wants to kiss him. No, not at all.

He’s saved from giving any answers when the clerk behind them coughs. Joshua spins so fast that his head knocks against Jeonghan’s, who promptly backs away, hand on his forehead. 

He gives the paper bag to Jeonghan, avoiding his eyes the best he can and balancing his own on his lap as he holds the steering wheel with both hands and tries not to breathe too loudly. 

Before they can move though, the passenger door opens just to shut with a bang in seconds. 

Joshua watches, bewildered, as Jeonghan goes around the car and opens his door, staring down at him with dull eyes. 

“I’ll drive to the park.”

He opens his mouth to refute maybe, but Jeonghan picks some strands of hair that are falling on his face and places them behind his ear, using the sleeve of his blue corduroy jacket to hide a yawn and he closes his mouth just as fast, heartbeat ringing at his ear like a bell. 

Undoing his seat belt, he moves to the side, almost stepping in Jeonghan’s burger in the process. They stay in silence, Joshua watching as the lamp posts pass by them like streaks of light and Jeonghan focusing solely on the road. 

They get in the park, but none of them move to get out.

“We should start eating,” Jeonghan says, voice surprisingly soft. “It’s getting cold.”

Joshua has his first memory of Jeonghan very vivid inside his mind, although it doesn’t have a face. 

He was looking for someone to split an apartment and Seungcheol tells him about this guy who is struggling with his current roommate. 

He meets Jeonghan on a Thursday, and he can affirm with conviction he hadn’t fallen in love at first sight. No, he had looked at the guy perched at the wood table in the middle of the campus, his back facing Joshua, legs swinging against the wind and the only thing he thought was that the guy should’ve brought a coat with him. 

He compares the faceless Jeonghan and the one who’s sitting by his side and wonders when exactly he fell. Maybe that same day, hours later, when Jeonghan had not just a freezing body but red cheeks from the cold and tired eyes from pulling an allnighter. Or even a whole month after their first meeting, when Jeonghan slipped under Joshua’s covers because their heater was broken and winter was as biting as ever. 

Joshua counts inside his head all the things he had archived about Jeonghan through the months that are quickly becoming years. He drinks cold milk in the morning, sleeps early during the weekends, hates cold weather, has a slight obsession with Neptune, and always makes Joshua turn off the light for him.

The lights blind him, making his eyes burn but he doesn’t close his eyes, nor avert his gaze. There’s something in them, the way they flicker four or five times just to stop altogether. The discomfort inside his chest goes bigger, breaking the dam, and Joshua is helpless as he drowns in an ocean of yellow lights and cheeky smiles.

“If I say I fell in love with you, what you’re going to say?” He asks, somewhat tired.

Jeonghan hums, trying to look unaffected, but his eyes are wide and the tip of his ears are red. 

“Did you?”

“I did.”

He hadn’t imagined this conversation going like this. In fact, he hadn’t imagined this conversation at all. Maybe if Joshua were someone else, he would’ve said he’s joking and brushed it off, but he’s just Joshua, and he does none of these things. 

“Are you mad, Hannie?” He asks, smiling.

Jeonghan turns his head to look at him. The lamps from outside aren’t enough to cast light upon his face and Joshua is disappointed that not even with his face gloomed by the lack of illumination is enough to stop his heart from racing. 

“This is why you’ve been acting weird lately, isn’t it?” Jeonghan asks, voice even. “Doing the dishes and bringing me coffee.”

Joshua rolls his eyes.“I always do the dishes, Jeonghan.” 

“Complaining!” Jeonghan exclaims, exasperation thick on his words and Joshua probably shouldn’t be having this much fun. “And you even called me _hyung_ last week.”

“Do you think that’s when I fell in love?” He asks, truly curious. Jeonghan squints his eyes at him.

“How do you know you like me this way if you don’t even know since when?”

“It’s less about when and more about how.” He contemplates. “It’s about having normal things we always did and putting them on another light and suddenly...They become special.”

“I didn’t know you had such a way with words, Joshuji,” Jeonghan replies, but his voice is shaking. 

It’s impulsive, and if it weren't Jeonghan sitting in front of him Joshua would evaluate all the cons beforehand, but it is, and he can’t help himself, “Can I kiss you, hyung?”

It surprises him how vehemently the other nods, and Joshua chuckles before leaning towards Jeonghan. 

Joshua had kissed people before, more than he can remember actually, and he knows it will sound biased, but no one is like Jeonghan. In essence is just like any other kiss, mouth in mouth, tongue against tongue but because is them, it feels like so much more. He could swear that he’s swallowing a supernova, waiting for an intermittent explosion that will come at any second.

When they split, Jeonghan’s eyes are light up, shining with thousand emotions, Joshua tries naming some of them, fondness, nervousness, and something else, something bigger but he won't dig on this one yet. 

They stare at each other for a moment before Jeonghan speaks again, breathless, “I taste like mozzarella sticks, don’t I?” 

Joshua laughs, “You do.”

They don’t talk about relationships nor do they mention the “in love” topic again and things are mostly the same but now Jeonghan slips under his covers for no other reason than he wants to and Joshua still waits for his body to get in combustion every time they kiss.

Maybe they should go to McDonald’s more often.

**Author's Note:**

> i sincerely apologize for this mess


End file.
